and, back to the wide world of the web.

Being Minnesotan, I consider this summer to have been incredibly pleasant so far.

Anne and Jillian have been thrilled with the reaction to their pottery; they are heading back into the studio and plan to fire by the end of the month, so make sure to stop by and swoop up anything you like of this round... new things are forming on the horizon line...

This week, it's just Blueberry Lemon Poppyseed Bread and Banana Buckwheat Bread. I wanted to make Raspberry Chocolate Bread, but I'll be saving that for next week. Also returning next Saturday is Grandma Lottino's Spaghetti Sauce, as well as NEW Zucchini Relish!

I hope your week has been a good one; we look forward to seeing you tomorrow at the market!

Stephanie

breads: in picture and type (and a recipe for sun tea!)

I figured today was a good day to introduce you to the breads we're carrying for the next few weeks... we'll be switching up the breads as the summer progresses, but for now, I give you:
















Blueberry Lemon Poppyseed Bread

This is the first vegan loaf I ever made, and one of my personal favorites. A full cup of blueberries goes into every loaf, as well as fresh lemon juice and zest. The blueberries give a great moistness to the bread, which is complimented well by the crunch of the poppyseeds.

Orange Date Bread

Orange Date loaves are made with fresh oranges, and dates from Holy Land Deli. This bread is heavier than the other loaves; it goes great with a cup of sun tea (Recipe for sun tea below).



















Banana Buckwheat Bread (Gluten-Free!)

Elise helped me devise this recipe; I'd actually never tried a gluten-free loaf before in my life, but I am very enthusiastic about these loaves. Buckwheat flour and brown rice flour combine to form a soft, richly textured bread with ripe bananas. Drizzle a little bit of honey on top of your piece (if honey is in your diet, of course!) and enjoy with a hot cup of coffee in the mornings.

Anne's mother makes sun tea in the summers; it's one of her favorite memories of summer growing up.

Sun Tea Recipe
4-6 tsp. loose leaf black tea, bagged in a mesh or paper filter
2 quart glass container

Fill container with water (room temperature) and add tea filter; cap tightly and set out in the sun. Allow the sunlight to steep the tea for 3-5 hours. Once reaching the desired strength, cool the tea in the refrigerator. Serve over ice and sweeten as desired. Note: Sun tea is meant to be enjoyed within a couple days; it doesn't keep as long as regular iced tea.

sunlight.

Let's hear it for the sun, huh?

(Blog world goes into hysterics, lauding the sunlight)

Last Saturday was beautiful. I sat out with Elise and Jillian next to the coffee/maple syrup (Eastside Co-op, woo woo!) and this great makeup stand. This was a particularly special Saturday for me, because it was Elise's final Saturday in Minnesota. She will be heading south to Illinois for a couple weeks, and then a little more south and considerably further east to Indonesia where she will begin teaching English. Elise, much love to you; you are going to be incredibly missed.

We introduced Orange Date bread, which was good news for those who like Oranges and Dates. We had mostly good reviews, but there were some skeptics. It is a funny thing to lay your tastes and talents on the line... "Interesting"; "Hum"; "That is a taste"... the wonderful language of Minnesotans.

Anyway, most of the reviews were positive, and we'll have Orange Date Bread and Blueberry Lemon Poppyseed out this Saturday. I didn't have the time/resources to make the Gluten-Free Rum Raisin Bread, but for you

GLUTEN SENSITIVE CUSTOMERS:

We will be making Banana Buckwheat Bread this week for Farmers Market!

Elise makes these incredible Banana Buckwheat Pancakes, and we were brainstorming in the kitchen this week when the idea sprang from her head. And, my heart being attached to Elise and my stomach being attached to her pancakes, I thought her idea was genius.

Thus... Banana Buckwheat Bread.

This Saturday is supposed to be hot and sunny... Good Farmer's Market weather. And this day is big, because my mother is coming to test and hopefully approve of my baking.

Anne just finished some new pieces of pottery, so Jillian and Anne will have their beautiful array of bowls, cups, vases, etc. glowing from the gentle shade of our tent.

See you there on Saturday :) Have a beautiful Friday.

Peace,
Stephanie

cold and rain (and joy)

Yesterday was the opening day for the NE Farmers Market. It was wonderful! We set up our tent (fresh out of the box) and admired the other stands in the parking lot -- the beautiful flowers down the way were particularly bright against everything cast in gray.
Thank you so much for stopping by our little soaked booth; I know how cold it was and I'm very impressed at the tenacity of my neighbors.
And how about those musicians? I almost forgot about the rain and the cold -- I had something to tap my feet to. And even waltz to.

Next week, expect many more loaves of bread:
Blueberry Lemon Poppyseed
Minnesota Bread (Maple, Wild Rice, and Walnuts)
NEW: Orange Date Bread
Rum-Raisin Bread (Gluten-Free)

I hope the week is good for you. And perhaps slightly warmer than the weekend.

Peace,

Stephanie

Breads, Spreads and Crackers

I figured it'd be time to present our list of edibles:

Breads (Vegan)

• Blueberry Lemon Poppyseed
• Mango Pistachio (June 6th only)
  
• Minnesota Bread (Wild Rice, Maple, and Walnut Bread)
  

Crackers

• Graham Crackers
  
• Cheese Crackers
• Whole Grain Crackers (after June 6th, vegan)
  

Spreads (Vegan)

• Mango Chutney
• Grandma Lottino's Spaghetti Sauce (Yes, Elise's Grandmother is Italian, and yes, this sauce is INCREDIBLE).

All of our edibles are vegetarian-friendly. We are planning to use vegetables from our NE Farmers Market neighbors as often as they are available. I will be experimenting with different kinds of chutneys and breads as we progress into June... Methinks apple chutneys and an orange-lavender loaf will be in the works for next week. Until then, I hope you had a great first visit to the Farmer's Market, and we hope to see you again next week!

Also, be sure to check out Jillian Bergin and Anne Kofmehl's pottery at our booth -- if you didn't notice it already, I will tell you that it's beautifully done and worth a look!!

Peace,
Stephanie